Primary Election

Blank votes and name recognition were the themes of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs races this Primary Election. Ten candidates are still in the running for five seats on the OHA Board of Trustees. HPR Reporter Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

Primary elections for Hawaii’s 2018 races are just four days away. In several contentious races, political action committees, or Super PACs, have been pouring thousands of dollars behind certain candidates. Millions of dollars are being spent statewide. The path for that type of political spending was cleared by the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case. Today, we explore how Super PACs operate in Hawaii and where their money is being spent.

A local nonprofit, Common Cause Hawaii, has created a “Power Ballot” that provides Hawaii voters with information regarding candidates in upcoming elections. Corrie Tanida of Common Cause hopes this project will help Hawaii voters make informed choices on Election Day.

Some noteworthy races include the Mayor’s office for both Honolulu and Hawai‘i County. Also at stake are nearly half of Honolulu’s city council and county council seats in Maui, Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i County.

This Saturday on Bridging the Gap... it's the Primary Election eve! So I'll be breaking in and out of the show for live updates and election results from the HPR News Team. In between, it'll be the usual eclectic blend of music pulled from around the world.